Assistive technology for hard-of-hearing individuals includes products that enhance a person’s hearing capabilities, utilized by those who have experienced hearing loss. There have been many recent developments in assistive technology through the years, including hearing aids, alarms, shakers and some brand-new tools.
Here are four directions assistive technology is headed in 2017.
In this day and age, everyone is glued to his or her devices, whether it’s a smartphone, computer or tablet. This is primarily due to the connectivity and information they provide. But this year, people with hearing loss may be glued to their devices for a new reason. More hearing aid companies are developing remote applications to control levels on hearing aids, as well as the capability to stream information from your phone to your hearing aid.
Alarms and shakers make life for hard-of-hearing individuals much easier when waking up, receiving calls, answering the door and more. Technology has advanced these amenities to further their convenience. One particular advance is the spread of smart watches and wearables, because of their features that include alarms that can wake people up or notify people when they are receiving a call or text, displaying that call or text. Some watches can even notify users of sounds around the house that their smartphone detects using a specialized app.
This year a big focus will be on discreet hearing aids with longer-lasting battery life and rechargeable batteries with a conveniently short charging time. It is counterproductive to have a hearing aid you can’t use because it is constantly charging, so this year will see a push toward make hearing aids with longer battery lives. This way people can use their hearing aids all day without having to charge them—and when charging time comes, it doesn’t take hours to refuel.
Battery life can also be increased with sensor technology. In the future, more and more hearing aids will be designed with sensors able to detect whether your hearing aids are in use or not so that they automatically power down when not active, saving battery life. Many of these hearing aids will also be built to be interchangeable, meaning they can be used in either ear and automatically adjust to each ear’s specifications. As a result, the price of hearing aids could likely decrease due to the decrease in manufacturing costs.